Exploding discarded fireworks responsible for Des Moines house fire

Discarded fireworks caused a house fire on the east side of Des Moines Saturday.

Lt. Rick Thomas with the Des Moines Fire Department says the occupants were lucky that the sequence of events allowed them all to leave the home safely.

"One of them was woke up by the sound of the fire burning and it blew the window from the heat," said Thomas. "Of course that let the smoke in the house and set off the smoke detector. I can't stress having working smoke detectors in your house. They're life savers."

The fire started when fireworks that were used earlier ignited after being discarded in a trash can directly next to the house.

The home was heavily damaged from the fireworks, which are illegal in the city of Des Moines.

Thomas says the safest way to dispose of used fireworks is to put them in a bucket of water, soak them for a half-hour, and then wrap them in plastic so they don’t dry out before placing them in a trash can.

There were no injuries in the fire at the 1300 block of East 19th Street in Des Moines.